Is the Novel Dead? Part Two

In this special edition of the show, two writers joined me to opine the death of one of the most influential forms in the history of the written word. I posed the question that many great writers have pondered stretching across the last two centuries …
Is the novel dead? And maybe a more up-to-date version of that question is, did the internet kill books?

Of course these are famous — almost cliché — theoretical discussions that writers often chew on over stiff drinks, and they raise hackles for those of us who adore them.
What you won’t find here is a highbrow literary dissertation, or even a very strict definition as to what the novel is or isn’t. But you will find a lively discussion between friends who care about the writing life and its future.
Robert Bruce is a writer, voice actor, and copywriter, as well as the Vice President of Rainmaker Digital and the guy who runs the Rainmaker FM podcast network.
Adam Skolnick is an award-winning journalist, author, and a returning guest on the show. His first book, One Breath, was published by Crown last January, and his work has appeared in publications including Playboy, The New York Times, and many others.
If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews as soon as they’re published.
If you missed the first half of this show, you can find it right here.
In Part Two of the file Robert, Adam, and I

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How Jay Baer Is Navigating New Waters with His Latest Digital Product

This week’s guest on The Digital Entrepreneur wants to hug you … even if you hate him! He founded one of the world’s most popular online resources for marketers and business owners, hosts one of the world’s most influential social media and marketing podcasts, and is the author of several exceptional books. He is … Jay Baer

In this 37-minute episode, Jay Baer and I discuss:

How the real estate market crash in 2008 led him to where he is today
His most humbling time as a digital entrepreneur, which he is currently going through as he develops his first online course
Jay’s guidance on how to balance advice from others and your own ideas about how to do things when those two conflict
The one technology tool that contributes the most to his success as a digital entrepreneur
What he believes holds every digital entrepreneur back
Why he’s adding proactivity and wisdom to the business development process

And much more.
Plus, Jay answers my patented rapid-fire questions at the end of the episode, which unveiled which email newsletter he can’t go without and his productivity hack to get more work done.
Don’t miss it.
Listen to this Episode Now
The post How Jay Baer Is Navigating New Waters with His Latest Digital Product appeared first on Copyblogger.

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Marketing Your Book All the Way to the Bestseller Lists, with Jay Baer

In this podcast episode, Chris Ducker sits down with Jay Baer to learn exactly how to become a New York Times bestselling author! Get your notebooks ready!
Book marketing is a topic that has come up a lot for me lately. As many of you know, I’ve just wrapped a book that has been traditionally published a while back.
Earlier this year, I interviewed Farnoosh Brock about her book on juicing, and her grassroots approach to marketing it — which worked very well for her. This time you will hear a different approach — a mix of old and new techniques, with some long-term brand building as the backbone.

In this interview, I talk with Jay Baer about his well-planned book marketing campaign, and we delve deep into how to become a New York Times bestselling author.
This is some very useful stuff, so get your notepads ready!
In this 50-minute episode, Jay and I discuss:

Why using unorthodox book marketing techniques can work in your favor
How you can build awareness long before your book is released
The criteria for hitting the NYT bestseller list
How to utilize your community to make your book go viral
Why hiring a publicist is still a good idea in the new business economy
How to use re-targeting to your advantage

Listen to this Episode Now
The post Marketing Your Book All the Way to the Bestseller Lists, with Jay Baer appeared first on Copyblogger.

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SEO that Grows Your Business with John Jantsch

Of all the components of a holistic online marketing strategy, search engine optimization (“SEO”) seems to mystify many the most. And it’s true that years back, the key to ranking well in Google was a form of dark art.
That’s changed in recent years. Google’s algorithm has gotten smarter, and is more distinctly tuned in to what the audience thinks is relevant and valuable for a given search term, rather than what we as marketers would prefer to rank well.

As my friend Rae Hoffman says, “Google doesn’t want to make websites popular, they want to rank popular websites.” In other words, get traffic rich by creating content that people want and value first, and Google will make you even richer.
Another friend of mine, John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing, has just co-authored a book called SEO for Growth, and it’s a completely up-to-date examination of what it takes to do well in search engines. I was honored that John asked me to contribute the foreword, and long-time readers of Copyblogger will see the natural evolution of tactics and strategies we’ve talked about for a decade.
Tune in for valuable tips on the modern practice of SEO. More importantly, discover how to execute on an SEO strategy that grows your business, not just your search traffic.
Listen to this Episode Now
The post SEO that Grows Your Business with John Jantsch appeared first on Copyblogger.

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Is the Novel Dead? Part One

In this special edition of the show, two writers joined me to opine the death of one of the most influential forms in the history of the written word. I posed the question that many great writers have pondered stretching across the last two centuries …
Is the novel dead? And maybe a more up-to-date version of that question is, did the internet kill books?

Of course these are famous — almost cliché — theoretical discussions that writers often chew on over stiff drinks, and they raise hackles for those of us who adore them.
What you won’t find here is a highbrow literary dissertation, or even a very strict definition as to what the novel is or isn’t. But you will find a lively discussion between friends who care about the writing life and its future.
Robert Bruce is a writer, voice actor, and copywriter, as well as the Vice President of Rainmaker Digital and the guy who runs the Rainmaker FM podcast network.
Adam Skolnick is an award-winning journalist, author, and a returning guest on the show. His first book, One Breath, was published by Crown last January, and his work has appeared in publications including Playboy, The New York Times, and many others.
If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews as soon as they’re published.
In Part One of the file Robert, Adam, and I discuss:

How longer works of writing have been forced to compete with disposable culture
Why Herman

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The Upside of Setting Outrageous Goals

This week’s guest on The Digital Entrepreneur is determined. His goal is to help five billion people with their efforts to grow their businesses. How?
He’s doing so by sharing as much content as he possibly can and by providing valuable services to purpose-driven companies.
He strives to be wealthy, not just in material things, but also with connections to make the world a better place …

In this 46-minute episode, Brandon Lewin and I discuss:

The biggest benefit he derives from being a digital entrepreneur
Why he finds it imperative to “give away” all the information he possibly can
His story on how he got the taste for entrepreneurship at a young age
What led him to the realization that he never wanted to work for anybody else
The milestone that he’s most proud of as a digital entrepreneur
How he consciously chooses the right people to work with to create his “A-Team”
How marketing automation has benefited his business

And much more.
Plus, Brandon answers my patented rapid-fire questions at the end of the episode, which unveiled a couple common interests that we share. Don’t miss it.
Listen to this Episode Now
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How to Use Your Limitations to Create a Unique Selling Proposition

We often think of limitations as weaknesses. In reality, they are strengths that will help differentiate your products/services in the market.
How do you target the right customers? Who are they and how do you attract them? Every marketer struggles with these questions. But the key to targeting the right customers is in understanding the limits of you and your products/services.

Every product or services has its limits. And while most people think these are weaknesses, the truth is that your limitations are a source of strength — if you know how to position them.
And by following the advice in this episode, you can easily assess those limitations and use them as part of what makes your product or service unique.
More importantly, you can use that unique quality to define who you should target.
In this episode, Sean Jackson and Jessica Frick go into detail about the “formula” for finding your target audience:

Why resource constraints are great to have
Why defining the ideal customer for your product is more about you than them
How your limits are actually strengths that will draw customers to you
And why being one-in-a-million is a huge marketplace

Listen to this Episode Now
The post How to Use Your Limitations to Create a Unique Selling Proposition appeared first on Copyblogger.

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The ‘Heart & Soul’ of Membership Sites, with Mike Morrison

Chris talks with Mike of the Membership Guys, and they discuss what it takes to come up with and maintain a membership site.
Membership sites have become something of an entrepreneurial pinnacle when it comes to online business. The idea of a regular and recurring income has sparked interest in so many business owners, but what does it really take to come up with and maintain a membership site?

On this episode, I deep-dive into the subject with Mike Morrison as we cover the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the membership site model. We cover everything from how to validate your membership site idea to what it takes to keep it going. Great stuff!
Mike also shares his valuable insights into what makes up the heart and soul of membership sites, as well as how to handle launches and content the right way — without burning yourself out.
Get a pad and pen ready for this one and enjoy this episode of Youpreneur FM!
In this 59-minute episode, Mike and I discuss:

Why I think that membership sites are a natural conclusion to regular, recurring income
Mike talks about if membership sites are all about recurring income, or if there’s something more to it
How membership sites help the members themselves
Why you need to be seen to sell to help both your business and your membership community
Where entrepreneurs should start before they start their own membership sites

Listen to this Episode Now
The post The ‘Heart & Soul’ of

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Jerod Morris on This Old New Business with Jeff Korhan

Jerod Morris chats with Jeff Korhan on This Old New Business about the importance of audience engagement and what an “audience of one” means for content marketers.

In this 37-minute episode, Jerod and Jeff discuss:

Jerod’s top audience engagement tip
Understanding your audience
Why you should trust the fundamentals of audience engagement

Listen to this Episode Now
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The Best of The Writer Files: Volume One

Before kicking off the next season of the show, we wanted to share with you some highlights from our previous seasons.
I don’t want to shortchange the most recent interviews with inspiring guests including Jay McInerney (’80s defining author of Bright Lights, Big City), Stephanie Danler (the bestselling author of Sweetbitter), the co-founder of Wired magazine Kevin Kelly, or How Neuroscientist Michael Grybko Defined Writer’s Block for us.
But I do want to dig into the archives with you and pull out a few of my favorites from a handful of the other 40 authors The Writer Files has cross-examined to learn how they keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block.

You’ll find links to these shows in the show notes on Rainmaker FM, and past episodes are easy to find in the archives of your favorite podcast app, in iTunes, or at WriterFiles.fm.
If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, click subscribe in iTunes to automatically see new interviews.
In this “Best of” Volume One, we’ll hear from a handful of past guests, including:

Advice columnist and critic Heather Havrilesky on social media and managed procrastination
NYTimes Bestselling Author of The Martian Andy Weir on productivity vs. laziness
Bestselling debut novelist Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney on beating fear and procrastination
Bestselling thriller author Mark Dawson on how to publish more than a million words in a year
Bestselling author Ann Handley on the only reason to write a book

Listen to this Episode Now
The post The Best of The

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